The House On A Hill
by samtana
Summary: Toph's idea of the perfect day, at first.


When I was small, I thought

My dreams would take me far

But now that's all for naught:

I don't own Avatar.

**The House on a Hill**

"I've been told that this spot has the best view of the city," said Toph. "I thought, you know, that you might like it."

"Yes," agreed Aang mechanically, gazing over the ledge. Their dinner table was perched atop a hill adjacent to the valley, so Aang's vision could stretch out for miles in each direction, save for what was blocked out by Toph's cottage on his left. "Yes, I like it very much."

"Here, have a kiwi pear," Toph offered eagerly, handing Aang the off-colored, plump fruit. "Kiwis and pears don't cross fertilize easily, so it's one of the rarest foods in the world."

Aang accepted it with unavoidable remorse. "I know what a kiwi pear is," he said, taking a small nibble. "Thanks, Toph," he said as flavor cascaded into his defenseless mouth. "It's delicious." One good thing about her being blind was that he could easily avoid eye contact when being insincere.

Toph sighed blissfully, missing the lack of enthusiasm in Aang's voice. "I'm glad you like it," she said. Aang felt somewhat uncomfortable when she acted this way, girlishly aiming to please in every possible way. It wasn't like her. "It cost a lot, so I'm happy that it makes you smile."

The pair had only been here for two days and a half and Aang was already sick of it. The ridiculously lavish silk clothes specially picked out for him, the zealously soft mattress he and Toph shared that kept him endlessly awake at night, the priceless paintings that hung casually along the halls. Toph had done everything in her monetary power to make this vacation perfect for him. This excessive decadence was sapping Aang's energy and filling him with the single-minded desire to take to the sky with his glider.

"It's very relaxing," Aang mumbled, taking another bite out of the kiwi pear. The fruit exploded in his mouth, its densely packed flavor oozing onto his tongue and making him shiver. For what possible reason would someone pack so much intense sweetness into a tiny tree ovary? And yet, across the candle-lit outdoor table, Aang could see Toph scarf them down as if they were a dime a dozen. "It makes all my worries fall away," He added.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, finally realizing that Aang's normal exuberant youthfulness was currently turned down a notch. "You sound distant."

Aang shook his head. "I'm fine," he said. "It's just… I haven't been sleeping well lately, and…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Toph interrupted. "Here, I can fix that. Lang?" A squarely dressed servant appeared at Toph's side and gave a short bow. "Throw away Master Aang's pillows and replace them with lion-goose feathered pillows."

"But…" said Aang, but Toph had already dismissed the servant. "Thanks," Aang called feebly after her.

"Oh, and Wei?" Toph called, producing another docile servant. "Bring out some of that aged wine that Fire Lord Zuko sent. I want Master Aang to try it with dinner tonight."

Aang made to stand up. "I can get it, dear," he said. "It's really no trouble."

"No, I don't want you to do any work," insisted Toph. She sounded so insufferably high-class. Where did the old Toph go? What had become of the dreadful Blind Bandit? "Otherwise, what are servants for?" She waved Wei off with a dismissive hand.

"I don't know," admitted Aang. Toph smirked, thinking she had changed Aang's point of view, while in reality Aang's "I don't know" referred to something entirely different.

"I bought you something," said Toph excitedly, reaching below the table. "Here, let me show you before Lang comes back with the wine."

She handed a small tablet across the table, and Aang didn't have to look closely to know what it was. His jaw dropped, shocked and disgusted. "It's the Mother and Sky Tablet," he said in awe. "This isn't the real one, is it? I thought it was in the Earth History Museum in Omashu."

"I was," said Toph with a smirk. "Until this morning."

"Did you… steal it?"

Toph scoffed. "Of course not! I bought it. Plus I told them it was for the avatar, so they couldn't really refuse…"

"You told them what?" demanded Aang angrily, emotion finally flowing into his voice. "Toph, I am not okay with this." Toph gave him the blank stare that gave him the creeps, the kind that showed no hint of what was going inside her mind. Aang continued, "When I used to visit Omashu, before I was frozen, I used to love going to that museum with Bumi. We'd come up with ways to try and steal it together for fun."

"I know," said Toph as if pointing out the obvious. "You told me. That's why I bought that one for you."

"That's not the point!" exclaimed Aang. "The tablet is for everyone to share, not just for me and you. I don't want to take away the joy of this ancient artifact from anyone for your own selfish reasons."

"Does this mean you don't like it?"

"No, it means I don't want it!" Aang's face was starting to redden, an accumulation of frustration starting to flow unstoppably out. He stood up and gestured to the table and the cottage, even though he knew perfectly well that Toph couldn't see them. "I don't want any of this! I don't want special Fire Nation wine, I don't want lion goose feathered pillows, I don't want kiwi pears, I don't want servants, and I don't want this stupid cottage!"

Toph's eyes started to water as Aang caught his breath and began to wonder if he had crossed the line. "I just wanted everything to be perfect for you," she said meekly. The old Toph would never have taken a fury like that sitting down. Her current servility egged Aang on even further.

"It's too much; it's too extravagant," Aang said. "We are supposed to free ourselves from worldly necessities, not indulge gluttonously in them. Katara understood that."

Toph threw her fist into the table, sending glass shattering all around, the entire fruit and candle setup on the table tumbling through the empty frame, kiwi pears squashing on the cobblestone floor. The line had been crossed. "This is not about her!" she shrieked, rocketing to her feet. "I am not her! And I have nothing to do with what happened back then, so stop comparing me with her!"

"I'm not telling you to be like her!" Aang shouted. They were almost nose-to-nose now. "I'm telling you to have some consideration for others!"

"Oh, so trying to make everything perfect is being inconsiderate?"

"Yes," spat Aang. "The way you do it, yes. At least Katara thought before she did something."

"What?!" Toph screamed. "I put so much thought into this! I wanted the best, most romantic view in the world, and I can't even see! Do you know how much work it took to find the right spot?"

"That's not what I'm talking about! Geeze, you never understand what I'm talking about!"

"And you can never understand that I do all of this for you because I love you!"

The pair stood facing each other an inch away, the smell of kiwi pear coming off their breaths and into their nostrils. They were each crying, each unable to change the orientation of their bodies towards each other, each regrettably forcing themselves to accept the inevitable. Slowly Aang reached down and grasped his glider.

"I think I should go," he said, trying to sound calm. He slipped the tablet into his tunic pocket and opened his glider. "I need to return this to the museum." And then he was gone. Soon Toph couldn't feel his presence at all, hearing only the whooshing of a distant bird-like figure. She collapsed to the floor and, in solitude, let go of her tears. She hugged a second present, one that would never be given, close to her chest: a small black jewelry box that gingerly held matching rings made from the finest metals in the Earth Kingdom.

-----------------------------------------------------------

It was disturbingly easy to write this soap-operatic fight. Huh.

My assault on Toph's love life continues.

Toph: Why do you hate me so much?

Samtana: Don't worry. It's not personal.

Katara: So, what exactly happened to me that you referred to briefly in this story? Answer carefully. [uncorks canteen]

Samtana: Um… it's up to your imagination!

Katara: So I could be happily married in the South Pole?

Samtana: Sure.

Katara: Cool.

Zuko: Maybe she realized that she would be much happier if she was married to a prince. Hint, hint.

Katara: Ew.

Jet: Well, I think she finally came to her senses and moved in with me.

Sokka: Aren't you dead?

Azula: My vote is for gored by platypus bears.

Everyone: [stares]

Azula: What?


End file.
